Anyone Else But You
by Freya Sacksen
Summary: 100 ficlets for Juno/Bleeker.
1. Freaks

**Freaks**

**Prompt: #2 - Couple**

**Word Count: 278  
**

They were freaks, no doubt about it.

Paulie Bleeker, the freakishly fast runner with the puppy eyes and warm smile, and Juno MacGuff, the knocked up delinquent with the sharp tongue and ebony hair. A couple of freakish freaks who'd grown up in one another's pocket and were now attached at the hip.

"We're a total couple of freaks, you know that, right?" said Juno, biting into some red licorice. They were at Bleeker's home, doing their homework (in theory, anyway). Bleeker was sitting on his bed, trying to write and keep Juno's legs sprawled across his lap at the same time.

"Hm? Freaks?" Bleeker looked up at Juno with honest confusion in his eyes, "You're not a freak,"

"Well, we hardly belong to what you'd classify as the 'normal' kind of people,"

"What's normal?" Bleeker looked curious, now. Juno smiled thinly.

"Not us,"

Bleeker put his homework on the floor, and then twisted his body so that he was lying next to Juno. He put his arms around her, and she snuggled into his embrace.

"Do you think you're a freak?" Bleeker asked softly.

"I'm not normal,"

Bleeker let out a wry chuckle.

"That's not what I asked,"

Juno tilted her head. They were so close Bleeker could feel her eyelashes flutter on his cheek. She seemed to genuinely consider the question now.

"I guess it depends on your definition of freakiness. Whatever it is, if _I'm_ a freak, then you're _definitely_ a freak,"

"I am?" Bleeker smiled.

"You're my boyfriend, right?"

Bleeker tilted his head up and kissed her on the forehead.

"Yeah, Juno," he murmured, pulling her even closer, "We're a total couple of freaks,"


	2. Taunting Fish

**Taunting Fishes**

**Prompt: #44 - Fish**

**Word Count: 237**

"Fishy-fishy-fish-fish," sang Juno, looking at Bleeker's fish.

The fishes, unimpressed, ignored her.

"Hey! Bleeker! Your fish aren't talking to me!"

Bleeker, midway through writing a sentence, paused to stare at his girlfriend in sheer bemusement.

"They're fish, Juno. I mean, I like them and, you know, I hope they're happy, but they're fish and…fish can't talk Juno,"

"But they're ignoring me!" said Juno, smiling, "You're ignoring me aren't you, you little fishies,"

Juno didn't know what it was, but Paulie Bleeker seemed to have this unnerving habit of bringing out her silly streak. Paulie just thought she was trying to wind him up.

It worked.

Bleeker sighed and walked over to give the fishes some fish food.

"Why don't you get fish of your own to sing at?" he asked, suppressing a smile.

"Nah. I don't have the patience for, you know. Maintenance. It's much more fun to just come over and taunt your fishy fish fishes,"

"So that's the only reason you come here?" Bleeker asked, widening his puppy brown eyes. It was the closest he could get to a pout, and it tended to work.

"Yeah, Bleek," said Juno, wrapping her arms around his neck. Bleeker's pseudo-pout vanished into a lazy smile, "That's the only reason I'm here,"

"To taunt my fishes," said Bleeker.

"That's right. To taunt your fish,"

Bleeker kissed her.

Unbeknownst to them, Bleeker's fish were watching the proceedings with mild amusement.


	3. The CD Store

**The CD Store**

**Prompt: #57 - Ex-Friends**

**Word Count: 433  
**

A child.

He was a _child_.

It had been a little over a year since Mark had first met Juno, and some days, inexplicably, he still missed her.

Missed her dark hair, the way it smelled.

Missed her smile, all sharp and rare and framed with bright red lips.

Missed her voice, indignant, opinionated and, in retrospect, young.

Mark wasn't sure what he loved; the girl, or the memories she brought with her.

Was it her opinions on guitars that he loved, or the fact that he'd met someone who had them?

Was it her young body curled up on his sofa that he loved, or the wide eyes and appreciative smile she gave of his passions in music in movies?

Was it her steadily growing frame he loved, her skin pale, the way she felt against his body he loved, or was it the fact that she'd let him touch her without worrying what others thought or how he felt?

Was it her grungy clothes and sweater vests he loved, or the fact that they reminded him of a time long gone?

Mark didn't know.

All he knew was that, stalking a CD store one day, he had seen her. Her hair was longer, but she still had those messy tufts over her ears. She was taller, too.

And she was standing next to a tall boy (_child_ thought Mark maliciously) with sandy blond hair that was in the kind of artless mess that girls seem to find attractive.

Juno pointed something out to him and he grinned. He had puppy eyes too, the kind girls find adorable.

_Calm down_, Mark thought, _there's nothing to suggest the two are together._

Aside, of course, from the fact that the boy (_Paulie Bleeker_ Mark suddenly remembered) had put his arm around Juno's waist in a way that was both possessive and friendly, as if he wanted people to know she was _his_, but he didn't want to constrain her in any way.

Mark suddenly felt very lonely.

Juno turned up to look up at Paulie, but saw Mark.

There was a long, long pause.

Juno then walked down the aisle. Paulie, confused, followed her.

"_Juno, who was that?"_

"_That was Mark,"_

_"The ex-husband?"_

_"Yeah,"_

_"I thought you two were friends,"_

_"We were, until he became a class-A asshole,"_

_Sad eyes. A miserable set to her mouth. Paulie stepped forward and hugged her, gently. Juno smiled up at him, and the two shared a brief kiss, before leaving the CD store, swinging hands and smiling._

Behind them Mark, feeling strangely empty, turned back into the store.


	4. Hiccups

**Hiccups**

**Prompt: #56 – Friends**

**Word Count: 459**

"I said it before, and I'll say it again: You. Love. Bleeker,"

Juno glared at Leah over her blue slushie.

The two were curled up in Leah's obscenely pink room; Juno's sweater vests such a gigantic contrast as to be almost artistic.

"I fail to see how this conversation of my emotions is useful in my delicate state," said Juno loftily.

"Delicate? Juno, you're _massive_. You look like a walking paperweight or something. I'm surprised they haven't dragged you up in health class for a living model,"

"Yeah, I can totally see the class name," drawled Juno, "Why You Always Wear Contraception,"

"Why You Don't Have Sex In Chairs,"

"Why You Don't Have Sex With Your Best Friend,"

"Why You Should Always Admit It When You Fall In Lo – hey, stop it!"

Juno had leapt upon the bed where Leah lay and grabbed her in a half-nelson, Leah shrieking the whole time.

"Say uncle! Say uncle!"

"Let go! Let go!"

The conversation continued in this vein for some time, until Leah finally gave up and yelled 'UNCLE!' prompting Leah's mother to look in on the two.

"You're not hurting Juno, are you?" scolded Leah's mother.

"But Juno got _me_ in the head lock!"

The two burst into a giggling fit. Shaking her head, Leah's mother left.

Juno suddenly let out an 'oof!' type noise, followed by a 'hey!' and then a 'watch it!'.

"Baby kicking?" said Leah.

"Kicking? No. Hiccuping? Yes."

"Wow, your baby is _hiccuping_? I didn't even know they could _do_ that! Grue_some_,"

"Hey, I'm sitting over here playing incubator to some hiccuping peanut and you're _laughing_!"

"Yeah. I am,"

Juno glared at her friend, before making another face.

"Hey, dammit sea monkey, quite hiccuping already! Hold your breath or something…"

"Is that really a good instruction to give, Junebug? I mean, what if the Juno-spawn holds its breath too long?

"Then I guess it'll fall unconscious or something,"

"Fetuses are conscious?"

"Well how else do they kick?"

"Good argument for the pro-lifers, I guess,"

Juno stuck her tongue out at the mention of pro-lifers.

Silence fell for a while, but it was comfortable silence.

"You love him,"

"_Leah_!"

"You love him!"

"No!"

"Youlovehimyoulovehimyoulovehimyoulovehim! You. Love. Him!"

"He's _Bleeker_, Leah!"

"Yeah. And you love him!"

Leah took a long slurp of her slushie, grinning around the straw at Juno, who made a face.

They both noted, but did not comment on, the fact that Juno did not deny the last insistence Leah made.

Juno absentmindedly ran a hand over her stomach. The hiccups slowly stopped, and Juno leaned back against the wall, hair getting caught under all the photos of older men Leah crushed on.

The baby kicked.

"Dammit!"

"Looks like it didn't fall unconscious after all,"


	5. Embroidery and Forgiveness

Peppermintpatti suggested some Bren/Mac/LB action. So, here's some Bren and Mac. LB can wait for prompt: sister.

**Embroidery and Forgiveness**

**Prompt: #26 - Parents**

**Word Count: 852**

"So, Junebug, how was school today?" asked Mac. The comma that passed for his daughter looked up from the mountain of food she was blithely making her way through.

"Oh, same old, same old. Guys staring at my belly, girls wanting to feel the baby kick. Watching the corridors part before me like the Red Sea is pretty neat, though,"

"How's Leah?" he asked. Juno had a sneaking suspicion she knew where the conversation was headed, but decided to let her dad sweat his way there.

"She's good. Still flirting with Mr. Conyer when she thinks no one's looking. Watching the jocks reaction to it was funny. Steve Rendazo started squirming,"

"Now, you remember Juno," said Mac, gesticulating with his fork, "If that Rendazo kid start bothering you - -,"

"- - I can always call you and you'll kick the crap out of him, I know dad," Juno smiled in spite of herself. Secretly, she wanted to see what would happen if she _did_ ask him to hurt Steve Rendazo. She used to come up with blow by blow scenarios with Ble - -

"And that Bleeker kid," said Mac, glowering, "How's he doing?"

Juno winced. That was never a good tone of voice.

"Uh…he's okay. I guess. I haven't really, you know, talked to him much since…" the sentence slowly came to a mumble. Bren gave her a knowing look. She hated that look. Mostly because whenever Bren gave that look, it meant Bren had a good idea of what was _really _going on.

The frustrating thing was that Bren was usually right.

- - -

"That Bleeker kid," began Mac, but before his tirade could properly begin, Bren looked up from her needlepoint and raised her eyebrows.

It was after dinner, and Juno had gone up to her room, presumably to do her homework. Mac carried no illusions though, but as long as Juno got good grades, how she got them was her business, especially in her current state.

"You used to get on quite well with him, as I recall," said Bren, adding in another stitch.

"That was before he knocked up Junebug," muttered Mac. Bren gave him the same look she had given Juno at dinner, and Mac frowned.

"You know she still likes him," Bren said, smiling slightly.

"She does?" asked Mac. He sighed. The complexities of teenage emotions were too much for him, especially when it came to Juno. He liked to think he knew her as well as anyone, but she still had the ability to surprise. The fetus in her belly, for instance.

"If she didn't, she'd be angry at him," pointed out Bren, "Or, at least, less angry than she is,"

"_Less_ angry?"

"Well, part of the anger is the loss of her illusions. She had an idea of what things should be like with him, and now she's found that that idea is, well, wrong. The rest of the anger is just the natural anger that her life got's screwed over, she needs someone to blame…" Bren let the sentence trail off, and returned to her needlework.

"But you saw this coming?"

"Mm-hmm,"

"…with the Bleeker kid?"

"Mm-hmm,"

"…am I the last to know?"

"Mm-hmm,"

"…damn,"

"Just consider it an exercise in patience," Bren smiled at her husband. One more stitch, and she'd finished the lock of fur.

The flash of a needle. The hiss of the thread. Bren put the hoop down, kissed Mac on the cheek and went to bed.

Mac picked up the needlework and stared at the embroidered spaniel without seeing it. Saw instead his daughter, pacing and tense. Saw instead her belly swelling over the days, weeks, months. Saw instead Bren giving birth to LB. Saw instead his first wife giving birth to Juno. The newborn Juno, a scrap of screaming, red life. She was tiny, for a newborn, he remembered, and was kept overnight at hospital so the doctors could make sure she was okay. The runt of the litter. Juno.

His first wife had accused him of wanting a boy instead of Juno, but the truth was it had been love at first sight. Newborn babies are hideous little things, covered in blood and placenta. The goddess Juno had been eaten as soon as she was born, Mac remembered, but he'd die before he'd hurt her or let her be hurt.

His Juno.

Mac put down the embroidered spaniel and went to bed, passing Juno's room. He looked up, hearing Juno talk. Probably on her hamburger phone. He paused, blinked, and then knocked on the door.

Juno opened it and looked up at her dad.

"Good night, Juno," Mac said, feeling a strange twist in his heart.

"Good night, dad,"

"Hey, Juno," Juno paused, halfway back into her room.

"Yeah, dad?"

"…nothing. Just make sure that Bleeker kid doesn't knock you up again,"

Juno stared after her father, confused.

It was the first time in months that he'd said something about Bleeker that wasn't a threat of bodily harm, and Juno couldn't suppress the thought:

_If dad's willing to forgive him…maybe I am, too._


	6. Te Amo

When Liberty Bell was born, Juno's amount of caring was: zip

(Hopefully correct) translations are at the bottom. Kindly correct me, because I know I probably fucked up and it would be nice to have the correct forms.

**Te Amo**

**Prompt: #30 – Sister**

**Word Count: 698**

When Liberty Bell was born, Juno's amount of caring was: zip. She didn't get jealous of LB's attention, not when it meant she and Bleeker could hang out every school night without Mac and Bren noticing.

As LB got older, Juno had to start toeing the line again and actually doing her school work. Not that it was hard – with Bleek to help, she was sure to pass. Not necessarily with flying colors, but definitely pass.

It had been a month after Juno had given birth, and she and Bleeker were in her bedroom, doing their homework.

"_I don' t entiende la lengua inglesa a veces_…" muttered Juno as she scrawled something that vaguely resembled the beginning of an essay. Bleeker raised his eyebrows at her.

" 'I don't understand the English language sometimes'…" he translated out loud, before looking at Juno in confusion, "Why do you ask for my help in Spanish class all the time?"

"Well, I dunno…" Juno tried to find the best way to make Bleeker squirm, and grinned, "_Me gusta tener algo bonito que mirar cuando estudio_," she said. Bleeker looked up at the ceiling while translating, before blushing.

"_Te amo_…?" he said, hesitantly. Juno froze, then smiled shyly.

"Yeah," she said softly, "Right back at ya,"

The two were smiling at one another when Liberty Bell burst in, ruining the mood.

"Whatcha doing?" she said, bouncing up onto the bed. When it looked like Juno was going to give a sharp reply, Bleeker immediately cut in.

"We're studying,"

"What were you saying?"

"We were talking in Spanish," said Bleeker. Juno did not look happy with her half-sister.

"Ooo. Is Spanish hard?"

"_Pudiera matarla_," muttered Juno. Bleeker looked up at the ceiling briefly, and then glared at Juno, "Just, you know, in case you were interested," she replied defensively.

"What did ya just say, Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuno?" asked LB. Juno flinched.

"Nothing, LB," said Bleeker, still glaring at Juno, who sighed.

Liberty Bell squirmed her way in between the two teenagers and smiled up at Juno, who got a strange look on her face.

"_Campana de libertad_," said Juno softly to her half-sister, "Shouldn't you be practicing your dance?"

"But you're fun!" said Liberty Bell with a smile. Juno blinked and then smiled back gently.

"I'll be back in a sec," said Bleeker, leaving the room.

"How do you say 'Juno' in Spanish?" he heard LB ask.

"Um…it's just 'Juno', LB," said her sister.

"Well, how do you say 'Junebug' then?"

Juno picked up her Spanish book and, tilting it so that LB could read it, she started looking for the right words.

"June bug…_insecto de junio_,"

"That means Junebug?"

"Actually, it means insect of June, but close enough,"

LB giggled.

"What was it you said earlier?" she asked, with wide eyes, "When you asked me if I was practicing?"

" '_Campana de libertad_?',"

"Yeah!"

"It's your name, LB,"

Liberty Bell blinked at Juno, before smiling and flinging her arms around her sister's neck, half-choking her.

"LB, let go! I can't – breathe – !" just as Juno gasped it out, Liberty Bell let go. Juno was about to give her half-sister a stern lecture about hugging older sisters without warning, when Liberty Bell interrupted.

"What does '_te amo_' mean?"

Juno froze and blushed fiercely.

"Um…it means 'I love you',"

"Oh," said Liberty Bell, before looking up at her sister with the innocence of a child, "Junebug?"

"Yeah, LB?"

"_Te amo_," said her sister, squirming her way onto Juno's lap.

"Yeah, LB," Juno hugged her little sister, "_Te amo_,"

A few moments later, Bleeker returned and blinked to see his girlfriend cuddling her half-sister. He'd expected affection, but he'd never seen this side of Juno.

"Uh…Junebug? Liberty Bell?" he said hesitantly. Liberty Bell looked up from Juno's arms and wriggled onto the floor, before flinging herself at Bleeker.

"_Te amo_!" she squeaked, before dashing downstairs.

"She's going to be saying that to everyone," said Juno with a wry smile.

Bleeker leaned over and kissed her.

"Juno?"

"Yeah, Bleek," her eyes sparkled, "I know,"

"Just…you know. Making sure,"

Then, from below came Mac's voice, confused and irked.

"Liberty Bell, what in the hell are you babbling about?!"

- - -

Probably incorrect translations for everything that isn't immediately translated afterward:

_Me gusta tener algo bonito que mirar cuando estudio_ – _It's nice having something to look at while I study_

_Pudiera matarla_ – _I can kill it_

Campana de libertad – _Freedom bell_

Many thanks to Rox1108 for correcting some of my mistranslations.


	7. Dated 28th

It might seem that I'm mimicking Rowling but I couldn't think of a better way to end it.

**Title: Dated 28****th**

**Prompt: #76 - Death**

**Word Count: 947**

_ 28__th__ December_

_Dear Juno,_

_I know you said you wanted a closed adoption, but I felt that it was your right to know that your son died of a sudden illness on the 24__th__. The funeral will be held on the 4__th__ of January._

_Yours,_

_Vanessa_

Juno stared at the letter, unseeing.

"Junebug?" said Bren, "Junebug, is something wrong?"

"I…" Juno's hands were starting to shake, "I need…I need to go over to…to Bleek's. I'll be…back…"

Juno put on her shoes and coat and left the house in almost absent way.

The pavement was icy beneath Juno's feet, and she found herself counting the steps as she went along.

2…8…19…22…25…

Juno looked up at Bleeker's house. Her breath frosted in the air. Ice clung to her eyelashes. Juno swallowed and walked up to her boyfriend's house.

_Knock, knock._

Bleeker's mother opened the door. Her lips were pressed together into the angry line they always set in when Juno came over, but this time she paused.

Juno looked different. The sparkling mischief that always filled her eyes was gone. The wicked smile that lurked about her lips was nowhere to be seen. She looked…lost. Like a little girl searching for her mother. Juno opened up her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

For an eternity, the two stood there, Bleeker's mother horrified at the change in the girl she so vehemently disliked, Juno incapable of forming words.

"You'd better come inside, Juno," said Bleeker's mother, and Juno, while numbed, was still awake enough to register the shock that Bleeker's mother spoke to her so gently. Making a noise of gratitude, the teenager was led in. Bleeker's mother sat her down on a nearby couch and bustled over to the kitchen for a few minutes, before returning with a cup of hot chocolate.

"I'll go get Paulie," she said. Partway to the door, she turned back and asked Juno a question, and Juno had the bizarre feeling that Bleeker's mother wasn't sure whether or not she wanted the answer.

The question was:

"Who is it?"

Silence reigned for a moment, and Juno then put a hand on her belly. A look of horror passed across the woman's face, then replaced by sadness.

"Paulie!" she called up the stairs.

- - -

Bleeker had been practicing on his guitar when he heard his mother call. Curious, he leaned out the door and looked down the stairs to see his mother…

Among the worst sights in the world is the sight of your own mother crying. The helplessness and confusion is almost overwhelming.

Bleeker's mother wasn't crying, but she looked pretty close.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Juno's here," was all his mother said, prompting more than slight confusion. What had Juno done to upset his mother so much?

Darting down the stairs, Bleeker froze when he saw his girlfriend on the couch, holding a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. Her face, always fair, was now white as the dead, and her dark brown eyes looked black. Her black hair looked lifeless, and the expression on her face made Bleeker stop breathing for an instant.

Silently, she held out an envelope.

Bleeker managed to force himself to breathe, and then went and took the envelope. He opened it, feeling the pressure of both women's gazes on him.

Bleeker read the message. His face tightened, then it went pink, then white, and the splotchy red of a boy trying very hard not to cry. He sat down next to Juno, who put her hot chocolate on a nearby coffee table.

They first held one another's hands, just looking at one another, wordless. Bleeker's face then collapsed, Juno's cheeks reddened and the two burst into empty, silent tears.

Hours seemed to pass. Hours of weeping, hours of cheeks scraped raw and red, hours of choked out sobs.

The two ran out of tears, and found themselves dozing off on the couch and sometime, when the two slept, their hands found one another and wove their fingers together.

- - -

They didn't go to the funeral in the end. Why would they? He wasn't there's, no matter how much they wept.

But they grieved anyway. For a nameless nine months now four days dead. When they called Leah the next day, to tell her the news, she arrived at Bleeker's two hours later, her face scored and scratched by tears.

The three spent hours together, wrapped up in silence for the unknown dead. Nighttime found them all curled up in Bleeker's living room, eyes wide and wet, each weeping tears they were certain nobody else could hear.

The third day broke, and so did their grief, like some kind of fever. Mindlessly, like robots, they bustled about with daytime chores. Bleeker's mother moved to make them breakfast, and then seemed to change her mind, and went back to bed instead. They made French toast, and Leah finally broke the silence.

"I still don't get why you have ketchup on your French toast,"

"I still don't get why you have maple syrup on yours," retorted Bleeker.

The three stared at one another, and then burst into laughter, made more of relief than mirth.

- - -

A soft snowfall came a week later, and the three built snow forts and had snowball fights ('wars' Juno called it). Juno and Leah teamed up against Bleeker, who had the unfair advantage of having a fort already made when the war began. Leah's hat got buffeted off by a stray snowball, Juno was forced to use her jacket to carry ammunition and Bleeker's mother, well, her dislike of Juno returned full force.

All was well.


	8. Calling In Sick

Well, maybe she doesn't really count as an 'ex-lover' but that was what prompted this somewhat bizarre little ficlet.

**Calling In Sick**

**Prompt: #60 – Ex-Lovers**

**Word Count: 156**

"I never went to the prom,"

Juno stared at Bleeker following this announcement.

"Uh…what?"

"I never went to the prom," he repeated.

The two were curled up in 'the chair', both excessively nude. Bleeker gently stroked Juno's hair.

"But…you said…_Leah_ said…"

"I changed my mind," Bleeker looked slightly sheepish. He scratched the back of his head, looking almost guilty, "I, uh, called in sick,"

There was a brief moment of silence.

"_Were_ you sick?"

"Well, I didn't look well. Apparently,"

"Next you're going to tell me you always run a fever," teased Juno.

"I wasn't lying. Not really. I _did_ feel sick," Bleeker wet his lips and gently pushed one of Juno's locks of hair away from her face so he could see her eyes, "I hurt,"

Juno sighed, and then leaned into Bleeker's arms, tucking her head under his chin.

"So I guess Leah and I destroyed Katrina's mailbox for nothing,"

"That was _you_?"

"Uhh…"


	9. At The Mall

Of course, the _obvious_ reaction to the prompt 'life' would have been the kid being born. Me? I like to think of myself as a law unto myself. Besides, this was infinitely more fun, even if it did turn out being a little longer than expected.

**Title: At The Mall**

**Word Count: 1,100**

**Prompt: #77 – Life**

Juno was walking past the playpen in the mall when she felt a small hand tug at the edge of her jeans.

Juno at nineteen was a tad different than Juno at sixteen. The horrors of University had inflicted their cruel wiles upon her life, and the discovery that neither lecturers nor tutors got worried when she snarked at them showed, not only a greater resilience than that of high school teachers, but also a longer memory, as some of the nastier tutors had taken it into their head to ask Juno questions wherever possible.

Ticketh off not tutors, for they have Great Powers.

Thanks to these cruel masters, Juno now looked a great deal more tired, but her tenacity led to a sparkle in her eyes whenever her chosen subject (Spanish) came up in conversation.

Her tendency to swear viciously at lecturers in Spanish was legendary.

"Uh…hi?" said Juno hesitantly. It had been several years since she'd had to deal with a three year old, and she had not been, well, good at it. She was about to pull away when something knocked her inside her cluttered head and yelled at her to _look_ at the kid.

Juno fell down to her haunches and took a good long look at the child.

His hair was a tousled mess of black, and his huge wide eyes were puppy brown. His nose was pixie short, and he had a soft, wide mouth.

"Hello," he said in a high voice.

"Didn't your mommy teach you not to talk to strangers?" asked Juno, amused in spite of herself. Something about the child was so utterly adorable that Juno found herself biting back the urge to cuddle it in her arms and coo over it like some of those silly girls had when she was preg –

Pregnant. Motherly instinct. Dark hair in curled tousles. Puppy eyes filled with trust. A sweet smile. A high, loving voice.

Juno swallowed hard.

Her son didn't really respond, except to tilt his head to one side and regard her with wide child eyes.

"You should go back to your mom," said Juno, her voice cracking on the last word. She had wondered, every now and then, what Vanessa's child looked like. Both Mac and Juno's mother had dark hair, she knew, so it probably had dark hair. That was about as far as her knowledge of theoretical genetics went before it got too complicated for her emotion-fried brain to finish.

She never asked Bleeker his thoughts on it. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

Sometimes, though, he got a faintly wistful look in his eyes, and she knew he was thinking about their unknown son. As a general rule, neither of them particularly gave a damn, but every now and then, the thoughts were impossible to repress. The memories of that brief taste of adulthood every now and then surfaced like a curious dolphin, laughing at her with knowing eyes.

And here it was, standing right in front of her, sucking his thumb.

"You shouldn't do that," chided Juno, gently tugging at his fist. The child removed the offending thumb.

"That's what mommy says," he replied.

"Well, your mommy is right," said Juno, "And you shouldn't talk to strangers,"

Juno left immediately, as quickly as she could. She needed to find a payphone. She needed Bleeker to tell her she wasn't crazy.

- - -

"You're not crazy,"

"You're sure?"

"Pretty sure. I mean, I haven't seen any guys in white coats around the campus so I assume not,"

"And if there were, they'd probably be going after Melody,"

The two shared a shudder for the lecturer who had no problems making their lives hell with a smile on her face and a song in her heart.

"What did he look like?" even over the cruddy mall payphone Bleeker sounded choked and confused.

"Dark, curly hair. My nose. Your eyes and mouth. My lack of self-preservation,"

"I knew it was genetic,"

"Oh, shut up you," Juno could feel Bleeker's smile against the earpiece.

"Did you see Vanessa?"

"Not yet. Not that I want to, your mom makes life awkward enough without adding to the aching pain of squirminess,"

"Look at it this way: It'll be well over a month before we get kicked out of the campus houses,"

"I'm not sure which is better: your mother's loathing or that girl who wanders around half naked,"

"Oh, she was fully naked the other day,"

"Good god, Bleek!"

"Well. She was wearing her panties,"

"You _looked_!?"

"Accidentally! I heard Leah let out a scream of horror, looked out the door to see what was happening and…well…she was there! All…wibbly and wobbly and deserving of X Cups,"

"Ugh! She's that bad?"

"Are you kidding?! It was horrible! And you know what's worse?"

"No, but I'm sure you'll tell me,"

"They were pink,"

"_Pink_?!"

"And had yellow daises on them,"

"_Yellow daises_?! How old _is_ this woman?! I take it back, your mother is better – at least she doesn't force nakedness upon us!"

"A medical students dream,"

"Oh no!"

The conversation continued in this vein for some time, until Juno got another tug on her jeans.

She looked down to see hers and Bleeker's son staring at her.

"What's a 'labia'?"

Juno stared at her son for a long, long time before bursting into hysterical laughter, enough to overcome the emotional horror of her son's innocence.

"Mikey!" said a familiar voice, "I've already told you not to both..er..strang…ers…"

Vanessa and Juno stared at one another for a long time.

"I'll call you back," said Juno into the phone before hanging up.

"What are you doing here, Juno?" asked Vanessa breathlessly.

"Well, you know. It's a mall. Figured I'd come here and be a delinquent university student,"

"Oh? What are you doing?"

"Double major in Spanish and Linguistics,"

"That sounds…difficult,"

"Oh god, the pain!"

The two looked at one another before bursting into giggles. Juno backed out of the payphone and started to walk away.

"It was…good to see you, Vanessa," said Juno, surprising herself with how shy she felt.

"Um…yes. Maybe I'll…see you again…"

"Yeah…hey, Mikey!" the child looked up at her, "Remember not to talk to strangers! It'll get you in trouble someday, right Vanessa?"

The two spent what seemed like an eternity just staring at one another, drinking in the future of what might have been.

"See you, Vanessa," said Juno with a smile.

And Juno left, returning to her life and future, and problems she _could_ deal with.

Like an oversized student in floral underwear.

The pain.

- - -

This is to say nothing bad about floral underwear. I don't actually _own_ anyway, but there are probably very lovely and attractive people who do. It just seemed like an appropriate way to continue a conversation I totally didn't plan.


	10. 99 per cent Fat Free

The title doesn't really have anything to do with the storyline, other than referencing a joke I quite like.

Not my best work by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm happy with it nonetheless. It could have turned out a _lot_ worse, after all.

There's not really much in the way of Juno/Bleeker in this one, or really in the last. Recently, the fics have more been using it as a device to help tell the story, rather than outright _being_ the story. As it should well be.

**Tit****le: 99 Fat Free**

**Prompt: #91 – Birthday**

**Word Count: 557**

Juno was depressed.

Juno wasn't just depressed. Juno was unhappy. Juno was despairing.

Juno was depressed _plus_, now with extra emotion. Still 99% fat free, though.

Somewhere outside her bedroom window a bird squeaked.

"Go sing in someone else's ear," she muttered. The hamburger phone let out a cheery ring. Groaning in self-pity, Juno picked it up.

"Howdy," she said, voice close to emotionless.

"Hey, Junebug, it's Bleeker. Um…do you want Leah and me to come over?"

"What gave you the idea I'd want company?" deadpanned Juno.

"Well…" Bleeker sounded as if he were trying to get an idea across without outright saying it, "I mean…you sound sad. And…uh…it's…" Bleeker's voice trailed down to barely a whisper, "…it's May 4th,"

Juno heaved a sigh.

"Yeah, sure. I can't guarantee you'll manage to survive the massive pit of self-loathing I've managed to carve myself,"

"How massive is massive?"

"Got any Evanescence?"

"Okay, pretty massive. Leah and I will be over there in a sec,"

"Yeah, Bleek. See you soon,"

Juno hung up, and returned to counting the bumps on her ceiling. She'd just gotten up to nine-hundred and twenty-three…

- - -

_One thousand eighty four…one thousand eighty five…one thousand eighty six…_

"Hey! Juno!" said a familiar voice.

_One thousand eighty seven…one thousand eighty eight…one thousand eighty nine…_

"Juuuuuuuuuuuuu_nooooooooooooooo_!" said Leah, knocking at the door and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Tired in her depression, Juno lifted her head to notice a faint, flickering light under her bedroom door.

"Enter," she said. The door opened and in walked Leah with her patented Cheerful Cheerleader Grin and Bleeker with his shy puppy eyes.

He held a cupcake with blue icing. A single candle sat in the centre, it's flame flickering and dancing.

The two sat down and put the cake in front of Juno. Leah leaned back on Juno's bed, Bleeker leaned on his knees. Both of them fixed unreadable gazes on Juno.

"Happy birthday," said Bleeker softly.

"Yeah," said Juno, a single tear dripping down her cheek, "Happy birthday,"

There was quiet for a moment, and Bleeker gently wiped away the tear, before pressing a soft kiss on her cheek, then on her forehead. He held and squeezed her hand.

"Well?" Leah's voice was soft and gentle, "Are you gonna blow it out? Make sure you make a wish,"

Juno stared at the candle.

"It's not my birthday, though," she said, her voice cracking.

"You think your parents don't celebrate your birthday?" asked Bleeker. Juno looked at him for a bit, before looking at their clasped hands.

"But I'm not his mother,"

"No," agreed Leah, "But you're sad, and chocolate cake cheers everyone up. So make a wish,"

Juno took a deep breath and blew the lone candle out. The flame flickered stubbornly for a moment, and then died. Leah and Bleeker applauded, and Juno let out a soft laugh.

Leah and Bleeker didn't ask what she wished, because they both thought they knew.

Leah thought she'd made a wish about herself.

Bleeker thought she'd made a wish about her friends.

But in actuality, when Juno took that breath, her only thought was:

_I wish Vanessa and her son __happiness._

And then they had chocolate cake, which isn't 99% fat free, but when you're making someone happy, it's not something you tend to take into consideration.


	11. Free to a Good Home

Yes, I do own a tortoiseshell called Juno. She's lovely and beautiful, but also a mean old lady. And she is _old_. No, really. She's, like, sixteen and that is _old_ for any cat, even a moggy.

I had far too much fun writing this. See, this is why I signed up for this. Because writing _Juno_ fics is _so much fun_.

**Title: Free to a Good Home**

**Prompt: #42 – Cat**

**Word Count: 931**

"No. Just…no. I refuse to believe you have done this to me. I refuse to believe you have _betrayed_ me this way,"

Bleeker stared up at his girlfriend blankly. Of all the reactions he had expected to this new aspect of his life, this one had not been high up on the list.

The tabby gray kitten on his lap squeaked adorably and looked up at Juno, fixing her the wide, bewildered stare of kittens everywhere.

"It's just a kitten, Juno,"

"I _hate_ kittens. They're so…soppy! And cute!"

"What's wrong with soppy and cute? Come on Juno," Bleeker looked up at her. His eyes widened and his lips pouted slightly. The corner of Juno's mouth twitched, "Can I keep her?"

"But - - I mean - - she - - _where_ did you get her?"

"Down the road," he said, petting the kitten. Purring loudly, she wound herself around his hands, her seal-like tail catching in the crook of his thumb, "The Beach's cat had a litter, and they gave them up: 'Free to a good home'. Mum said I could keep her," Bleeker looked up at Juno, his face still in an adorable expression of pleading.

"But - - she - - it's a _cat_, Bleek! Why do you want one of those vicious, mangy, scratchy, fur-shedding monsters in your house?!"

"I was trying to name her," said Bleeker, completely ignoring Juno's plea, "But I couldn't think of anything. Suggestions?"

"It?"

"What, for a name?"

"Yeah,"

"No! I'm not calling my kitten 'it'!" the cloud gray kitten curled up in Bleeker's lap, opened one very red mouth and yawned, before closing it's eyes and going to sleep.

"That?"

"No!"

"Sh – ,"

"No swear words!"

"Well, what then?" asked Juno, exasperated, "I don't like cats, Bleek! Besides, she'll probably try to eat your fish,"

"Nah," he said, "The Beach's said that so long as I keep the tank high enough, she won't try. She'll be more likely to try and hit them through the glass and then look confused when she can't,"

"Argh! I am not helping you name your stupid little kitten!" Juno, sullen, collapsed into Bleeker's bean bag.

There was silence for a moment. The kitten then jumped off Bleek's lap and walked over to Juno, who glared at it.

"Piss off, pussycat, I'm not in the mood," but the kitten blinked at her with wide, kitten eyes and rubbed it's cheek against her leg.

"Aw," said Bleeker, "She's already saying you're hers," Juno glared at the tiny scrap of life that blinked up at her.

"I'm not hers," spat Juno.

"Well, she's marking you. That's why they rub their cheeks against you, you know," Bleeker smiled mischievously, "The Beach's oldest cat, the one who gave birth to her? She's a tortoiseshell called Juno," Juno blinked at Bleeker, "Well, that's why I wanted you to name her,"

The kitten was trying, without success, to climb the bean bag. Juno, frowning, picked it up by the scruff of it's neck and, on instinct, the kitten curled up. Juno glared at it, before dropping it on her lap where it proceeded to squeak smugly.

"Did the Greeks have a god for cats?" she asked, running a finger down the kitten's back. It's fur was soft and warm, good for cuddling.

"No, but the Egyptians did. Her name was Bast and - - "

"No, it should be Greek. Or Roman,"

"Well, I don't know about Greek or Roman, but the Norse gods had a love goddess who rode a chariot of flying cats," Juno gave Bleeker a pitying look when he said that.

"I doubt that so much. No self-respecting cat would pull a chariot, not even _for_ a goddess,"

"True,"

There was quiet for a while as Juno twisted her mouth, thinking about what to name the kitten. The little thing sat back on his hind legs and looped it's claws through Juno's shirt. Juno patiently unhooked the kitten. A smile then spread over her face.

"I know what we can call her…"

- - -

"Well," said Juno watching the kitten a week later, "She certainly fit into her namesake,"

Indeed she did. Hera had a habit of being nasty to anybody or thing that even touched something she decided was hers. Fortunately, she seemed to count Juno as 'hers', so Juno was rarely on the receiving end of Hera's sharp claws.

To Juno's glee, Hera did not get along with Bleeker's mother. No matter how many toys she bought the kitten, Hera refused to acknowledge her as matriarch of the household and, despite being only a few months old, was convinced that the house belonged to her.

"Told you that you'd like her," said Bleeker smugly.

"I don't like her!" protested Juno. Bleeker leaned over and kissed her under the ear, "That tickles," murmured Juno, leaning into him.

"You like her," Bleeker said, kissing her under her jaw, "Admit it,"

"Well," said Juno, in an almost absentminded fashion as Bleeker kissed her neck, wrapping his arms around her waist, "I…suppose if you insist…"

"Which I do," said Bleeker, kissing the back of her neck. Juno shivered before twisting around and tackling him to the bed, kissing him firmly on the mouth.

"Meow," she said with a grin, running a finger down the centre of his face.

"Meow," he said back, smiling. He was pulling her down for a long kiss when…

"_OW_!"

"Juno! What's wrong?"

"That stupid kitten _bit_ me!"

Bleeker sighed. It looked like his womenfolk weren't going to get as long as well as he'd hoped…


	12. Breaking Free

Yes, I like High School Musical. Shut up. The songs are 'Stick to the Status Quo' and 'Breaking Free'. Anybody who knows the movie, of course, will now have had most of the ficlet spoiled for them. Sorry.

All songs in this belong to Disney, not me. I can write song lyrics sometimes, but I can't compose to save myself.

**Title: Breaking Free**

**Prompt: #82 – Singer**

**Word Count: 1,064**

Juno had managed to sneak her way into Bleeker's house while his mom was out, and intended to take her boyfriend by surprise, when she discovered a horrible secret.

As she crept down the corridor toward his room, she was curious when she heard…singing?

Tiptoeing up to his door, she leaned against the door and felt her jaw drop as she heard Bleeker singing what, to her, was the sound of evil.

_No, no, no, no,_

_Stick to the stuff you know_

_If you wanna stay cool_

_Follow one simple rule_

_Don't mess with the flow no, no_

_Stick to the status quo_

Horrified, Juno slowly opened his door and looked in to see…

…Bleeker, shirtless, obviously just out of the shower, brushing his hair and singing into the mirror.

_Look at me and what do you see?_

_Intelligence beyond compare_

_But inside I am stirring_

_Something strange is occurring_

_It's a secret I have to share…_

"That you sing songs from High School Musical?"

Bleeker jumped a foot in the air and turned to stare, red-cheeked, at Juno.

"Uh, Juno, um, ah, er…uh, what are you doing here?"

"Your mom was out so I snuck in through the corridor window," said Juno, the corners of her mouth slowly turning up as she fought back a burst of giggles.

"Oh. Um. Could you, uh, call ahead? Next time?"

"Why? Are you scared I'll catch you singing 'Bop to the Top'?"

Bleeker opened his mouth to argue, when a thought seemed to occur to him.

"Hey, waitasec…how do _you_ know High School Musical?" Juno, to Bleeker's glee, blushed furiously.

"Um…LB was watching it the, um…other…night…"

"You were watching it weren't you?" said Bleeker, grinning.

"No I wasn't!" protested Juno, "It was LB who asked Bren to buy her the DVD!"

"And I'm sure LB is the only person who has watched that DVD," said Bleeker solemnly. If Juno was going to mock him for singing 'Stick to the Status Quo', he'd mock her right back for actually _knowing_ where it came from.

"Bleek! I didn't…I mean I don't…I mean…"

With a smile, Bleeker wrapped his arms around Juno, before gently leaving a kiss on her forehead.

"Okay," said Juno grudgingly, "So…maybe I watched it once or twice…"

Bleeker, with a grin, started to sing again.

_We're soarin', flyin'_

_There's not a star in heaven _

_That we can't reach_

Juno, leaning against Bleeker, hoping he couldn't hear, sang softly.

_If we're trying_

_So we're breaking free._

Bleeker kissed her on the forehead again.

_You know the world can see us_

_In a way that's different from who we are._

"You don't seriously expect me to sing the rest of Gabriella's part, do you?" said Juno in an accusatory voice.

"You sang the first bit of her part," pointed out Bleeker. Rather than reply to that, Juno leaned up and kissed him on the lips, and then rested her head on his chest.

_Creating space between us_

'_till we're separate hearts_

Bleeker smirked.

_But your faith it gives me strength_

He added his voice to Juno's reluctant but sweet one.

_Strength to believe_

Bleeker then grinned, leaned back and grabbed her hand before leading her around his bedroom, dancing. Half of Juno's singing got lost in her laughter.

_We're breaking free!_

_We're soarin'!_

_Flyin'!_

_There's not a star in heaven_

_That we can't reach!_

Juno grabbed Bleeker's hairbrush, and Bleeker grabbed a can of aerosol and the two held them like microphones, laughing the whole way the song. Bleeker's mouth was in such a wide grin it was comical.

_If we're trying!_

_So we're breaking free!_

_Oh, we're breaking free!_

Juno was giggling madly, which was okay, seeing as currently Bleeker was doing most of the singing anyway.

_Can you feel it building?_

_Like a wave the ocean just can't control?_

Juno finally started managing to gasp out some lines, although they were more spoken than sang in between her giggles.

_Connected by a feeling_

_Ohhh, in our very souls_

The two sang together again, their voices hideously off key but sounding bizarrely beautiful together.

_Rising till it lifts us up_

_So every one can see – _

_We're breaking free!_

_We're soaring!_

_Flying!_

_There's not a star in heaven_

_That we can't reach!_

_If we're trying_

_So we're breaking free!_

Unbeknownst to them, Bleeker's mother had come home and was confused to hear loud voices singing. As the two laughed through the melody and harmony, she climbed the stairs to see what the fuss was all about.

_Running!_

_Climbing!_

_To get to that place_

_To be all that we can be!_

_Now's the time!_

_So we're breaking free!_

_Ohh yeah!_

"If only we had someone to be Kelsie and play the piano," mused Juno as Bleeker burst into the next bit of the song.

_More than hope,_

_More than faith_

Juno stumbled a bit over the bean bag, before picking up the lyrics.

_This is true,_

_This is fate_

_And together_

_We see it comin'!_

Bleeker got down on one knee and put on a face of soppy adoration. Juno's giggles resurfaced with a vengeance.

_More than you_

_More than me_

Juno put on a look of adoration as well, making Bleeker start laughing. Juno looked a _lot_ funnier than Bleeker.

_Not a want_

_But a need!_

Bleeker's mother, listening in on the two sing, was torn between amusement and horror. She didn't want to even see what kind of excuse for dancing the two were up to, and mused that the two sounded a lot better when they were singing together than when they were doing their separate parts.

_Both of us breakin' free!_

Juno fell onto the bean bag.

_Soarin'!_

Bleeker made little flapping motions with his hands when his line came. Juno was all but choking.

_Flyin'!_

_There's not a star in heaven_

_That we can't reach!_

_If we're trying_

_So we're breakin' free!_

Astonishingly, Juno was able to sing her next few bars.

_Breaking free!_

_We're running!_

_Climbing!_

To Bleeker's mother's relief, they started singing together again. Thank god.

_To get to the place_

_To be all that we can be!_

_Now's the time!_

_Now's the time!_

_So we're breaking free!_

_Ohh we're breaking free!_

_You know the world can see us_

_In a way that's different than who we are_

Bleeker kissed Juno.

"You liked it. Admit it,"

"Oh, go fly a kite,"


	13. And Then

A vaguely comedic ficlet. I had far too much fun writing it.

**Title: ****And Then…**

**Prompt: #1 – OTP**

**Word Count: 420**

"What are you doing?"

A lot of conversations with Juno seemed to start that way.

"Oh, I got bored," said Bleeker, "Googled my name,"

"Come up with much?"

Bleeker tilted his head so that Juno could see. To her amusement, the whole screen was made more or less of pages touting sporting awards, apart from one.

"What the hell is this?" she wondered aloud. Bleeker leaned over with her to inspect the link.

"I have no idea," said Bleeker. Juno looked at him and smiled. Bleeker looked so sweet when he was confused; all raised eyebrows and wide eyes and parted lips. Juno bit back the immediate urge to lean over and kiss him like she normally did whenever he looked particularly kissable, "It has your name too, Juno,"

"It does?"

"Yeah…and there's a weird backslash,"

The two stared at the computer screen.

'Juno/Bleeker OTP' it read. Bleeker twisted his mouth, opened a new tab, typed in Wikipedia and wrote 'OTP' in the search line.

"Outdoor Therapeutic Program…" the two looked at the previous page. If it had anything to do with outdoor programs, it wasn't evident. Bleeker clicked back to Wikipedia article.

Juno started giving him a hickey.

"Juno, quit it," Bleeker murmured, "I can't read with you doing that. Don't you want to find out what it - - ah!" Juno snickered inwardly at Bleeker's reaction to her grazing her teeth against his neck.

Bleeker swiveled the computer chair around, dislodging Juno and grabbing her around the waist. He grinned at her, and Juno smiled back, tangling her fingers in his tousled hair.

"I'm sure it can wait…" she purred, before leaning down and kissing him.

- - -

A while later, Bleeker started inspecting the computer screen again. The fact that he was extremely nude, and that a similarly naked Juno was sprawled on his lap, did not seem to bother him.

Juno stirred and shivered a bit. Bleeker leaned over and grabbed his comforter, before pulling it around his girlfriend, who hummed and snuggled closer to him.

"One-time programmable," he murmured beneath his breath, "No…one-time pad in cryptography…no…one-time password…possible, but no…One True Pair – wait, what?!"

"Huh?" said Juno, a bit dazed, "What?"

"One True Pairing, usually used to denote a fanatical devotion to one pairing in a fandom, excluding all others…" Bleeker, horrified, clicked back to the previous page, "One-shot, romance, Juno/Bleeker OTP…' Bleeker read aloud.

"What does that - - ,"

"Someone is writing _stories_ about us, Juno!"

"What?!"

And then the fourth wall broke.


	14. Welcome to Hell

A sweet little bit of nonsense.

Less than quarter of the way through, and I think it's best to do a brief disclaimer to the tune of: 'Juno and all characters and places associated, does not belong to me. Hell's Pizzas is a trademark and, likewise, does not belong to me.'

Yes, Hell's Pizza is a real pizza chain in New Zealand. Trust me on this.

**Title: Welcome to Hell**

**Prompt: #17 – Pizza**

**Word Count: 938**

"Welcome to Hell, may I take your order?"

Juno's voice came out flat and dead. She hated this job already, and she'd only been working a month.

Hell's Pizzas was the newest chain in town, and supposedly made the best pizzas. Bren, who Juno was currently cursing, had encouraged Juno to get part time work there, as they were more than a little short on hands.

Juno regretted it from the moment she got her first call.

"Hi," Juno was shocked to discover that the woman over the counter had to be in her fifties, "I'll have…a snack Greed, Lust and Grimm, please,"

"Uh…will there be any sides with that?" asked Juno weakly, still shocked. The woman's bright pink cardigan contrasted so strongly against the black and red of the shop that Juno had a hard time looking at her.

"Mmm…some lemon pepper wedges and hell dogs, too,"

"Uh…what sauce do you want?"

"Sour cream will do, thank you,"

"Uh…sure,"

Money was exchanged. Juno wrote out the order as quickly as she could and handed it to the cook, Aaron, who sighed.

"Juno, can't you write more legibly?" he stuck it up on the list and Juno winced. The pizzas were made more or less right in front of the customers, a practice Juno both approved of and despised.

She approved of it, because it showed the customers exactly what they were getting.

She despised it because Aaron seemed to have it in for her and had no compunctions about insulting her in front of the clientele.

"It's not _my_ handwriting, it's the fact that _you're_ too blind to see it!"

"Yeah right! Even someone with perfect 20/20 vision could see that it's nigh-impossible to read!"

"Yeah, well - - "

"Juno!" snapped Sam, one of the delivery boys, "Customers!"

Grumbling rebelliously, Juno returned to the counter. Her hair was plastered to the back of her neck – working near a kitchen while dressed in all black in the middle of summer was just a _bad_ combination.

"Welcome to Hell, may I take your order?" she droned.

"Hi Juno," Juno did a double take to see Bleeker over the counter.

"Bleek!" her voice came out as a kind of squeak. She coughed, cheeks red. Of all the people she didn't want to see her working in this (literal) hell hole, Bleeker was somewhere near the top. It wasn't that she didn't trust Bleeker not to laugh at her, it was that she didn't want Bleeker to see the sheer amount of insults she put up with.

Bleeker smiled at her with sympathy.

"Bad job?" he asked.

"You have no idea," she said in a dull tone, "Everyone here hates me, the delivery boys hate me, the cooks hate me, the phone operators hate me, even the customers hate me and I'm the one arranging for their food,"

"I didn't think anything like that could bother you," said Bleeker, brushing a cheek with the back of his hand.

"Well, it wouldn't, it's just the sheer _amount_ of hate seems to be coalescing into this big giant wad of _hate_, like some giant rising out of the pizza fumes,"

Bleeker laughed.

"Don't worry," he said, still stroking her cheek, "Is the pay any good?"

"Minimum wage," Juno replied flatly, "I don't know why I agreed to this,"

"MacGuff!" yelled Sam, "Quit flirting and get his order!"

"Screw you, Sam!" snarled Juno, "You're not my boss! You're - - "

"What's happening here?"

Dan, the manager of that particular store, walked into the parlor. Juno still looked angry, Sam looked furious and Aaron looked resigned.

Juno and Sam were angry enough to yell.

Bleeker was angry enough to talk softly and politely, which is far scarier than yelling.

"Excuse me," Bleeker said to the manager, who turned a mild gaze on him, "But apparently your staff have been harassing my girlfriend,"

Dan's eyebrows raised and he looked around the parlor. His expression had not changed one iota, and yet every staff member started to look embarrassed and ashamed. Juno and Sam were too busy exchanging glares for the look to have any effect.

"Sam," was all Dan said, and yet there was a very careful rebuke there. The delivery boy flushed, muttered an apology, and fled, "Juno, I am very sorry that the staff haven't been making you welcome," the manager sounded genuinely contrite, "If I'd known, I would have spoken to them about it earlier,"

"Uh…that's okay, Dan. I mean, uh, you're not omniscient," Juno seemed startled by the behavior of her boss. Juno had always thought he was an absentminded loon, but then she'd never seen him actually _exercise_ how intimidating he could be.

"Alas," he sighed, and then turned to Bleeker, "Your order?"

"Uh…actually I really just came here to say hi to Juno," Bleeker, too, was overwhelmed by the sheer force of the man's personality.

"Ah," he said, "Well, maybe Juno can tell you when her breaks are, so that it doesn't interrupt business," and with that careful reprimand, Dan left, leaving a very red cheeked Juno.

"Okay, so maybe the staff here aren't that bad," said Juno, "Not Dan, anyway,"

"He's kind of…scary, isn't he?"

"But nice,"

"Scary but nice…huh. Sounds like you, Juno,"

Juno blinked and flushed.

"Uh, I'd better get back to work," Juno mumbled. Bleeker gave Juno one last smile and left.

"You really love him, don't you?" said Aaron thoughtfully as he watched Bleeker leave.

"Well…yeah, I guess," said Juno with a soft smile on her face. She turned to the next customer in line.

"Welcome to Hell, may I take your order?"


	15. Mother

In case it wasn't obvious – these are all _one-shots_. That means there is _no relation between any of them_.

**Mother**

**Prompt: #39 – Cactus**

**Word Count: 501**

i. Sacrifice

Bren loves dogs. Loves the way the light shines off their sleek coats. Loves their huge, soulful eyes. Loves the way they smile. Loves their personalities, how loyal they are, how they always seem so happy.

Juno's hair isn't sleek. It's always knotty and messy. You can tell when she's had a shower, though, because her hair will glow dark brown and smell of flowers. Her eyes aren't huge or soulful. They're wide and long, glinting blackly. When she's sad, they glimmer with hidden tears, and when she's happy they shine.

Juno's a teenager, so of course she's moody. Moody 24/7, and her smile is rare. But when she does smile, a brief glow of a smile, her pale skin glows.

But if Juno is like a dog in one thing, it's her loyalty. Snarling blackly at anything that she views as being hurtful to something she loves and trusts. She's got a dog's tenacity, too, and won't let go of something once she's gotten hold of it.

Bren loves Juno. This is why she hates Valentines Day above every other day in the year.

She's sacrificed a lot for Juno, and she'd sacrifice that one day in the year, if she could.

ii. There, There

It wasn't like how Vanessa had thought it would be.

She'd imagined Mark standing beside her as she bathed her son, breastfed him, cuddled him. She'd imagined Mark playing with him as he grew up, enrolling him in school, buying him clothes, watching him grow up.

But as Vanessa sat in her chair, she carefully kissed him on the forehead.

"You shouldn't grab," she scolded him, gently. She kissed his palm, where her son had grabbed her embroidery needle. It had bit into his soft skin, a metal in flesh, and her son had bellowed in pain.

But Vanessa had kissed it better. It was what mothers did.

"Shush," she whispered gently, rocking him in her arms, "There, there,"

iii. Hope

"Ow!"

Juno sucked at her finger as she dropped the cactus.

"You know your mother loves to send spiky gifts," said Mac with a heavy sigh.

"That doesn't stop it hurting!" snapped Juno back, before wincing, "Hey, quit it," she muttered, before rubbing her stomach gently.

Mac's lips tightened.

"Oh," he said, "You got this, too,"

Juno picked up the envelope curiously. It was light blue, and the handwriting oddly familiar…

Juno hiccuped strangely.

"Junebug?" called Bren from the kitchen. Mac watched his daughter carefully.

Juno's lips went white and, without opening it, she tore Bleeker's letter to her in two, and let the pieces drop on the floor.

Then, head held high, hands trembling, she went upstairs to her bedroom.

Bren sighed.

"What made him send her that letter?" asked Mac, "He knows Juno; he would know she'd tear it up,"

Bren bent over and picked the pieces up, before carefully putting them in her embroidery drawer.

"The same reason your daughter opens those packages without thinking," she said sadly, "Hope."


	16. Warm

**A/N:** Apologies for the late update, and thanks to Juno120 for gentle prodding re: update.

**Title: ****Warm**

**Prompt: #09 – Hospital**

**Word Count: 369**

_I hate hospitals._

_The food is gross._

_The walls are gross._

_The sheets are itchy…and gross._

_The nurses are blank…and gross._

_Hospitals, in general, are gross._

This was the kind of bizarre mantra Juno had going through her head as she lay back in her hospital bed, waiting to get discharged. Absent mindedly she poked at her belly, still mildly surprised that there wasn't anything in it aside from plastic hospital food. After nine months of suffering through a giant bulge of baby, this sudden lack of flesh was eerie and kind of…cold. She'd been feeling cold ever since she gave birth on that cold day, since it had all cut into her like a knife, since crying into her bedsheets at the sudden loss of it all. A coldness that crept into her belly and spread throughout the rest of her nervous system…

"Hey Junebug,"

Juno looked up to see Bleeker walk in, hair mussed up from the wind, cheeks pink, eyes sparkling. She loved the way Bleeker looked when he'd been outside.

"Hey Bleek," she grinned as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"They say you're gonna get discharged in a bit. Maybe even today,"

"Oh, good, maybe I can eat something other than porridge,"

"They only serve you porridge?" asked Bleeker, confused.

"No, but it's the only thing I feel comfortable eating. It's the only thing on the hospital menu that's _supposed_ to be that color,"

Bleeker laughed and Juno smiled, a little wearily. Bleeker's smile faded when he noticed the weariness, and leaned back to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

Juno's mouth spread in a genuine smile as she leaned into his embrace. It was funny, really, something she'd noticed with her father, Bren – heck, her family in general – that it was entirely possible to understand exactly what a person meant without either of you saying a word.

Bleek kissed Juno's crown, then her forehead, nose, cheeks, before finally meeting her smiling lips.

And, not for the first time, and definitely not for the last, in spite of the lack of flesh, in spite of the lack of baby, in spite of the emotional stress of it all…

…Juno felt warm.


End file.
